FOX 47 - Health News

MADISON (WMSN) -- A lot of UW-Madison students have insurance again, now that new health care policies are in effect.

23-year-old Shelby Seeberg is a UW grad student. She says she would have been dropped from her mom's insurance this year, but thanks to new federal laws, she wont.

"I've taken out the max student loans just to live day to day on and worrying about health coverage or health is an added stress," Seeberg said.

Now anyone up to the age of 26 can be covered under their parents' insurance. That's only if they do not have a job that already offers them coverage.

But that policy isn't the only change to your health insurance. Now anyone 18 years old or younger can't be denied coverage because of a pre-existing condition like cancer.

Insurers can't drop a person because they're sick or for an error on their insurance application. There is no longer a cap on the amount of coverage you can receive, and you get free preventative care, meaning no co-payments for things like physicals.

Now what does this mean to you?

Bobby Peterson is executive director of ABC for Health. The non-profit helps find coverage for people who have trouble getting insurance.

He says insurers are required to implement these changes, but it's up to people to take advantage.

"The best thing you can do is call your parents and go through their employer," Peterson said.

Some people may not see the changes right away because some insurers don't have to implement changes until a person's policy needs to be renewed.

Peterson suggests talking with employers about when the policies go into effect and how they affect you.

The most significant policies of the Health Care Reform Law go into effect in 2014.

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